Area of research

Research summary

The design of new proteins and enzymes remains one of the great challenges in biochemistry and tests our fundamental understanding of both the nature of protein as a material and the principles of enzymatic catalysis. Unlocking the exceptionally diverse and powerful array of chemistries exhibited by natural enzymes promises routes to new drugs, therapies and green industrial processes.

Most approaches to this end have focused on modifying natural enzymes to impart new or altered catalytic function. The problems that often hinder the re-engineering of naturally evolved proteins and enzymes are due to the layers of complexity that nature incorporates through ...

Biography

Ross Anderson’s research is focussed on the engineering of de novo designed redox proteins and enzymes, and their subsequent integration into both living organisms and artificial cell-like entities. Ross studied Chemistry at Newcastle University and carried out his PhD in Biomimetic Macrocyclic Chemistry at Heriot-Watt University. He then moved into the field of Biological Inorganic Chemistry with Prof. Stephen Chapman, FRSE, at the University of Edinburgh, studying the natural heme-containing dioxygenases indoleamine and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase. From here Ross undertook further postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania in the lab of Prof. Les Dutton, FRS, where he worked on ...